Reading Reflection 1

A successful high school orchestra program would consist of a thorough curriculum supported by an administration that believes in the purpose of the orchestra program (as well as the arts in general). The American String Teacher article by Thomas Tatton was excellent, I felt. It very accurately summarized the components of a successful orchestra program. For that matter, I felt that 90% of what he wrote could easily be applied to a choir or especially band program and still be appropriate. A supportive administration (both at the School Board level as well as in one’s specific school) is crucial. Of course, as mentioned in the article, there are important ways that a string teacher can connect with his or her administrators – in a word, communication. This communication of the program’s qualities and benefits includes inviting said administrators to concerts, programs, and rehearsals. This allows the administrators a first-hand perspective on what is truly going on in that orchestra program. With this intimate knowledge, he or she can more accurately evaluate the program and react accordingly (and, usually, positively!).

I felt that, on the whole, the first three chapters of the book were useful from a pedagogical perspective, but not as much from the perspective of someone who is attempting to think about an ideal program. Sure, I may have opinions on which methods should be used, but without parental involvement, administrative support, and student interest and enthusiasm, it won’t matter one bit which method book I choose to use. Thus, only a portion of chapter 2 is useful in this discussion. In particular, I enjoyed the discussion about the history of school orchestra programs. This history is important to know when designing a school orchestra program, even today. To know where we are going, we must know where we’ve been.

The AST article by Robert Gillespie was basically redundant of the book, which he co-authored. The AST article by Sheila Kendall, then, seemed to be a re-cap of Gillespie’s article and book (she even used that very article as a “Selected Resource”).

I feel that communication with parents, administrators, and students is perhaps the number one priority when it comes to maintaining one’s orchestra program. Right up there on that list, however, is making quality music. If music doesn’t happen, it won’t matter how much you talk about your program. Finally, the best way to defend your program is to let it speak for itself – having administrators, community members, and parents in on rehearsals, present at concerts, and involved in as many aspects as possible. Obviously, this is ideal, but not always practical. Therefore, you must be ready to speak positively of your program and to sell it to all possible audiences (particularly the three I just mentioned).

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